Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) (9 page)

Out
of bullets. She needed another gun. Turning, she reached for the dead deputy’s
hip. His gun was still there, never even got a chance to be drawn, but Jessica
kept focusing on his eye sockets where his eyes had once been. Now there
were
just strands of nerves, frayed like old
electrical wires.

His
mouth twisted open in shock, his fingers pointed up in the air. The metallic
smell of his blood was everywhere and Jessica tried to ignore it.

But
her insides screamed with rage. This happened because of her, because she
hadn’t gotten Amanda out in time. Apologies all around, but Jessica couldn’t be
frozen by grief. They had to keep moving.

Renewed
gunfire erupted from the front. Jessica jumped and blinked her eyes rapidly.
Gun in hand; she stayed low, her back positioned against the overturned desk to
avoid getting hit. This should be it. A sweep up of the last of the demons, and
then they could make their way outside, into the open. Thank God there were no
more police arriving as backup. Jessica just wanted to get them out of here and
hit the open road, away from this place forever.

Their
family vacation home. Now that too was tainted by demons. Damn them all back to
hell.

Jessica
broke cover, twisting onto her knees and fired two shots toward the demons. One
hit a demon in the head, the other went wide. The standing demon was still
coming for her.

“Stay
down!” she ordered her sister as she slid to her butt and bent over to avoid a
fresh round of bullets. Jessica couldn’t see where Amanda took up
cover
with Woolsey, but she knew they
were
safe.

For
now.

She
would take the frontal assault, but she wasn’t
superwoman
.
There was only so much she could do. Safety wouldn’t last if Jessica couldn’t
take out that last demon.

Taking
a deep breath to steady herself, Jessica rose to her knees again.
This time,
the demon was right there, bent over
with extended claws ready to grab her by the throat. His big beer gut pressed
against her. When he growled, Jessica forced her gun into his mouth and fired.

The
beast’s eyes widened and he fell over backward with a thump, but the blood
spray Jessica couldn’t avoid. The vile stench filled her mouth and Jessica spat
it out as she labored to her feet.

 
“Coast is clear!” She rushed toward the front
door, her boots crunching on glass along the way. Grabbing the door handle,
Jessica paused when the buzzing sound of motorcycles pierced the night air.
Their headlights coming down the street headed straight for the police station.

They
were cornered.

No.
They couldn’t have fought their way through this just to lose. Jessica couldn’t
give up the fight.

Amanda
and Woolsey were at her side again. “Jessica?” Amanda’s voice was pitched,
afraid as she clenched her hands together on repeat.

“Is
there a back door?” Jessica demanded of Woolsey. When he hesitated she asked it
again with less patience. “Well, is there?”

Woolsey
pointed. “Side entrance, it won’t get us far, but the door is pointed toward
the convenience store.”

The
convenience store. Town. Jessica’s throat rose with bile as they rushed toward
the side exit. The sight size of the gang headed into town, meant everyone was
in trouble. If anyone came outside to see what was going on… First things
first, stay level headed. Jessica wasn’t good to anyone if she was freaking
out.

Freaking
out was for pansies. Jessica wasn’t a pansy. Level headed. Strong. She had
this.

As
Jessica pushed open the door, checking if the coast was clear. She could hear
Amanda’s labored breathing. She was
terrified,
more than usual, probably because of how weak she was from
exorcising
Woolsey. Amanda and her bright
ideas, but at least now Jessica could put Woolsey to good use.

Outside
street lights flickered, giving a valiant struggle before finally going out.
Jessica skirted the edges to the convenience store. She broke the glass to
twist the door knob open from the inside. “Get inside and call whoever is
necessary to warn everyone in town to stay inside. Don’t come out no matter
what happens. Do you understand?”

Woolsey
shook his head. His eyebrows were furrowed and he
spat
his words out in a fine layer of mist. “I don’t understand any
of this!”

Denial.
Jessica understood it, didn’t like it, but she understood where it was coming
from. “You don’t need to. Just do what I say.” Jessica spoke carefully and
precisely. Footsteps were coming closer. “Where’s our car, Woolsey?”

She
gave him half a second to answer and when he didn’t, Jessica scowled her eyes
into a fine point. “Our car!”

His
hand shook as he pointed down the block away from the sheriff’s station.
“Vick’s towing, but the gate is locked—”

Jessica
could take care of that. She pushed him inside the convenience store and
slammed the door. Afraid the demons might find him, she pulled the blinds to
hide the broken window. A bitter wind was whipping around them and Jessica’s
hair lashed at her mouth. The mountain fresh air was being tainted by the
stench of blood and exhaust fumes.

“C’mon!”
Jessica took Amanda’s hand and they went
from
the corner store into the alley. It almost butted up to a residential house
that stank of peeled onions and rotting beef.

Great
smell, it really piqued the senses, but
at least
it warded off her hunger. Hopefully, it would mask their scent too. Buy them
some time, so the demons couldn’t track them right away.

“You
all right?”

Amanda
shook her head, her eyes gazing down. “There’s so many. Why are there so many?
They’ve never
come
after us this hard
before. Not even when I was—”

Jessica
heard a noise. A trash barrel being knocked over clattered like the echo of a
cymbal. She gasped and held up her hand to quiet her sister. “Run. We need to
run.”

Amanda
shook her head and took a labored breath. “I don’t think I can.” Her face was
drawn, her eyes soft.

There
was no time to fall unconscious, so Jessica lightly swatted her cheeks. “You
don’t have a choice.” Jessica kept Amanda’s hand tight in hers and she took
off, her legs pumping; Amanda doing everything she could to keep up with her,
but still she trailed behind
at an
arm’s
distance. Jessica’s legs burned hot from dragging her sister, but she didn’t
give up. She couldn’t stop.

The
towing place was in sight. It consisted of a small building with a lot, guarded
by a chain link fence. Inside were rows of cars, mostly older models, that’d
give them cover until they reached their car. With any luck, her shotgun would
still be inside.

Crossing
the street, Amanda tripped and Jessica couldn’t take it anymore. Her temper
raged as she put an arm around her sister’s waist dragging her
along.
“We’re almost there. Don’t give up on
me, “she demanded.

Amanda
grunted with exhaustion as they jumped onto the curb. Jessica rattled the gate,
looking for a way inside. Locked tight, they needed to scale the fence, but
Amanda was breathing hard and her face was pasty. She clung to the fence with
pinched fingers; Jessica didn’t think she could make it.

Jessica
didn’t know how far she could carry her. If only Aunt Gwen had come. If only
they hadn’t been left alone…

“Jessica!”

She
whipped her head around at the sound of panic in Amanda’s voice and saw a
bright shining light. It was the only thing she could see. Hope tanked at the
realization it was a motorcycle’s headlight. “Run!” Jessica pushed her sister
out of the way, jumping into bushes for cover, as the motorcycle collided with
the fence.

The
sisters rolled to the pavement and Amanda crawled away. She didn’t have the
strength to go much further. Jessica trundled onto her side and saw the demon
coming, but she was out of ammo, didn’t even have the gun anymore. So what was
she going to do? Take it with her bare hands?

The
demon was upon her, Jessica raised her hand defensively as someone stepped
between her and the demon with a wide stance. A leather jacket covered his
broad shoulders and something about the way he carried himself was familiar.
The blast of a shotgun boomed into the night. Like fireworks, it would bring
every demon to their location.

But
right now, the demon that mattered the most fell dead. Jessica breathed a deep
breath as her savior turned. Even in the dark, Jessica could make out the hair
that fell over his right brow and the toothpick twirling in his mouth. And
damn, that ass, that tight little ass in blue jeans that could make any woman
lose her mind.

Jessica’s
brow furrowed and her mouth scowled.

Duncan
Jasper. She swore the day would never come when she’d take help from that
asshole again, but here he was, staring at her, then offering her a hand up.

“No
thank you.” Jessica struggled to her feet and went over to Amanda. She’d ignore
his eyes and the patter of her heart. There was no way she’d take help from
him.

Amanda
lay on the pavement, chest heaving with exhaustion. Jessica helped her sister
up and wrapped an arm around her waist. Amanda rested her head on Jessica’s
shoulder, her breath shallow.

“You
won’t get far with her like that,” Duncan said. “They’re coming. A lot of them,
more than this.”

His
eyes had the sweet intensity they’d always had. A little bit spitfire and a
whole lot of compassion. For a brief moment, Jessica lost herself and almost to
him. “We’ll be fine. We’ve always managed. I just need to—” Jessica walked
forward with her sister, but Amanda held an outstretched hand to Duncan.

What?
She actually wanted to go with him? No, absolutely not. Jessica fumed with rage
and swatted Amanda’s hand.

Duncan
took Amanda’s hand like the scoundrel he
was,
and squeezed her fingers. Jessica thought to saw off his own, but his next
words stopped her dead in her tracks. “I have your car.”

Jessica’s
skin tingled, as if he’d whispered sweet nothings in her ear, and maybe he had.
“Excuse me? My car?”

Duncan
stepped forward with a nod. “Found it crashed into the Gypsy’s Curse about a
day’s drive from here. Has all your things, your weapons, but if you rather
leave Daddy Blood’s car in my capable hands, I’m sure he would—”

Jessica
bit her lip and turned her eyes away from him. She’d never let him see how
grateful she was. How thankful. Duncan Jasper had one thing coming to him and
it wasn’t her gratitude, that was for damn sure. “Where is it?”

He
gestured with his hand and led the way. From the sound of the coming motorcycles,
like an orchestra of buzzing lawn
mowers,
it wasn’t a moment too soon.

****

Duncan
peeled away from the curb and the demon motorcycle gang was left in the dust.
Jessica let him drive because some things were more important than exacting ownership
over your car. More important things like your sister.

Jessica
sat in the back seat, her younger sister curled up against her chest and
Jessica stroked her wet hair. Amanda’s jaw was slack, her eyes shut tight as
she whimpered in pain, but the further they drove, the better she got. The
better they all would be. They just needed some distance from the demons.

That’s
all Amanda needed. It was all she needed too.

Jessica
studied the back of Duncan’s head and thought maybe she should thank him. They’d
both be dead if he hadn’t showed up. Why had he showed up? It couldn’t be good.
Jessica gazed out the window as the trees raced by. With the window rolled
down, they welcomed the air blowing cool against their skin.

 
“They put a bounty out on your head. Every
demon worth his salt in evil is out looking for you,” Duncan said.

Jessica’s
stomach flipped and Amanda stiffened against her. “Great.” Jessica sneered.

“They
want Amanda. I’m guessing it’s for that gift she has. The one where she heals
people.”

“Curse,”
Amanda said quietly and gazed up at Jessica.

Jessica
saw the pain and torture in her sister’s eyes. “Shhh,” Jessica said softly and
stroked her cheek.

“It’s
a curse, Jessie.” Amanda whispered and her face crinkling up. She was about to
lose it, and if she did, Jessica thought she would too.

“You
save people. It’s a lot better than what I do.”

Kill
demons, break the law. It was a reputation she’d never live down. Jessica’s
voice was soft and way too vulnerable for the mixed company in the car.

“We
lost Momma and Papa because of it. You’ve given up your entire life to protect
me. You’d be better off if I—”

Jessica
could read Amanda’s next pain filled words would be, and she wouldn’t abide
them.

Wouldn’t
even listen to them.
Instead
she just
hugge
d her sister and held her close. She
couldn’t hold her close enough. Jessica rested her chin on Amanda’s hair and
felt her sister’s body rock with sobs.